Fulbright & Finland – Page 5

March 7, 2019

The North! Part One-Oulu (Stu)

Aurora Borealis starts to show above city lights in Oulu

The North! Part One-Oulu (Stu)

The focus on this side trip was life in the far north above the Arctic Circle. We’d traveled by train for Robyn’s Fulbright conference in Oulu which is kind of a jumping off point for Lapland. We enjoyed the Lapland Hotel in Oulu immensely as it afforded a taste of Lapland’s food as well as being well appointed. I knew immediately that this was going to be a problem for me as Lapland food is hearty and very tasty (more about this later, especially if I get hungry writing this…) Food aside, there were three main events our family enjoyed in this charming seaside town.

The University of Oulu hosted the first event which was the symposium of Fulbright Arctic Research In Action: International Collaboration to Address shared Challenges. As the title explains, Fulbrighters shared their projects and collaboration to help the people and the wildlife/resources within the Arctic Circle. Both Meggie and Liam took notes and we really enjoyed hearing how the diverse projects were linked together to gain deeper insights and ideas to help sustainability and the ability to thrive across cultures and geographic boundaries. It was quite a big deal and a sense of urgency came over from the different speakers. I was pleased and more than a little proud that Meggie and Liam were able to follow and have intelligent conversations about the issues afterwards.

The second event was the result of luck and good information from a grantee’s husband who shared about an App that informs if an aurora borealis may be seen in the local area. No sooner had we put this on our phones, than it sent a text saying that the aurora may be seen within the hour. As it was a clear night, we all rushed outside and were rewarded with a wonderful view of the dancing shimmering particles falling to earth in a dazzling green and gold display. The borealis swirled and faded and re-appeared suddenly above even the ambient light of the city. Most of us felt almost giddy with excitement as we rushed through the nearby park to get a better view. I heard later that many have lived in the area for years and had never had the pleasure of witnessing this wonderful event. We felt very fortunate (even Meggie, who’s wet hair from the shower froze into awkward clumps).

The last event was a day spent at the Kierikki Stone Age Center about an hour outside Oulu on the banks of the Lijoki River. 3-5000 years ago, this area had a sea view as the water level was about 300 feet higher due to the fortunate melting of the glaciers at the end of the last ice-age. The center is usually closed this time of the year, but the staff open up shop for specific groups like ours and seemed to take every opportunity to feed us. This was probably a good thing as -18 degrees celsius is no joke when you’re outside for hours as we were destined to be in the afternoon following the museum tour featuring many artifacts discovered at the nearby stone age village. I thoroughly enjoyed the small, yet very well done museum. Even Robyn and the kids who usually last 20 minutes in a museum were engrossed by the artifacts and information in this one. The highlight of the day was the stone-age hunting and gathering competition at the village. The staff were dressed up and had us do the same when split into 3 groups to complete various daily tasks varying from hunting and gathering, to making fire, food and art preparation, and even a snow cave for survival. Liam was our leader and even though we lost overall, he did an amazing job and tried everything. Meg discovered new talents too. As for me, I was struck by the thought that electricity and creature comforts don’t have the same value when they come so easy; ask anyone who has made fire outdoors.

Robyn’s new friend

Liam in his snow cave

Our stone age guide ponders missing group members

On the way to the village

Aurora Borealis-you really had to be there…

February 25, 2019

New Things-Liam

This week I have once again tried some new things. On Friday my new found friend and I went to a sauna after swim class. It was interesting to experience the heat that they endure as well as the cold. The sauna helps the body in many ways. For example, I am usually very sore after swim, but I was less sore because the sauna released the tension in my shoulders and lower back. Afterwards, I felt invigorated and glad to have tried that with a friend.

On Saturday, my family went to see a snowboarding event. They had made a course downhill near our house. It had a few jumps and many twists and turns. I stood up on a wall to get a better view. I could see the start and the Finnish (pun intended). All of them were amazing and it was so cool to see such a new sport.

While I am on the topic of snowboarding my sister and I went for our first lesson today. We were amazed to find that it is very similar to surfing. I practiced turning which was just moving your hips and leaning. We also practiced stopping which is very important. By the end I was starting to get the hang of it. When I turned in my board I was incredibly tired.

Well that is all for this week. Good bye.

February 25, 2019

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)-Robyn

The Least Restrictive Environment, known as LRE, is an ingrained component for any educator working with students with special needs. Having the privilege to have been one of the esteemed Dr. June Downing’s graduate students, I was taught about LRE and inclusion from the very beginning of my career. At the time (over 2 decades ago) this was a pioneering way to educate our students with intensive needs. Inclusivity was the mainstay of her program, and in turn we were instructed to teach all children in their LRE. June was a dedicated proponent of inclusive education, viewing access to general education program and peers without disabilities as best practice, as well as advocating for equality. She never let us a finish a project as there were always improvements that could be made to ensure it would continue to meet our students’ needs in their LRE. I think back to her multicolored pen marks on our projects and papers continually asking us to dive further. Our cohort proudly called ourselves “Junies” and whenever we reconnect after long periods, we have a special connection grateful that we learned from the one of the most influential inclusion specialists of our time.

LRE is a vital component in the development of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and plays a critical role, influencing where a child spends their time at school, the services provided, and the relationships a child develops within their school and community. Collaborating with IEP team members about a student’s LRE is always interesting as the team determines what supports are needed to ensure our learners are able to spend as much time as appropriate with their neurotypical peers and classroom settings. As each student is unique, these collaborative discussions have a multitude of variations embedding general education, systematic instruction, modifications, social skills training, and so forth.

In Finland, they use the same terms of inclusion and least restrictive environment that are a foundational component of special education back in the States. Yet here the Finnish perception or perhaps definition of LRE is different. It feels like being in an alternate universe because the same terms are utilized, however their interpretation and implementation is contrasting. Maybe because special education and inclusion are my greatest area of expertise, I find these subtle differences thought provoking while perhaps to someone else they sound and appear to be the same. So many components of the Finnish educational system are amazing and I am eager to bring these back home to share with my colleagues. However, this particular aspect has me a bit turned around. They routinely utilize separate schools, separate buildings (though perhaps attached to neighborhood schools via locked doorways), and separate classrooms for 100% of the day for students with mild to severe disabilities, yet Finnish educators refer to this as inclusion. Yep, it’s perplexing.

In Finland I have observed excellent teachers of students with special needs implementing evidence-based practices in a calm and caring environment. I have had brilliant conversations about the best ways to support students with intensive special needs. The Finnish educational system ensures there are more than enough appropriate supports for their students served by highly regarded teachers all with master’s degrees and instructional assistants who have gone through 1-2 years of certificated training. The supports, materials, and classrooms are chock full of the evident dedication that students receive what they require to be successful.

However, I’m curious as to where students who have more intensive special needs receive their education. I find myself biting my tongue at each school site. Finnish educators have warmly welcomed me into their schools to observe and conduct professional conversations. Yet I desperately want to help them understand the possibility of implementing a different variation of inclusion throughout their students’ school days.

My Fulbright host at JYU and I have been discussing these findings. Our conversations are invaluable as we collaborate and develop a plan of how to share this information and create new protocols. We decided on videotaping one of my lectures with a question and answer section as a jumping off point to lead the way to further discussions with their teacher candidates. After being given student case studies by a doctoral student from her current research, I will share in this controlled and open setting about how this student can be successfully included within their general education setting. I feel like a kid in a candy shop because I love this! I can’t wait to have the opportunity to help the educators in Finland understand perhaps an alternate setting in which they can begin to educate their students in what can be an empowered use of LRE.

Further updates forthcoming…

February 25, 2019

Walking and Talking-Meggie

It’s been great recreating ourselves to fit into the Finnish culture. My mom and I have been going on long walks and a couple of days ago, stumbled upon this really cute, homey coffee shop that we later brought the boys to so we could all enjoy live music by a three-person local band that was playing. It was very merry and comfortable to snuggle into a deep couch in the corner of the shop, and listen to the accents of the singers perform American songs from the 80’s.

We don’t have a car, so it would seem we walk everywhere we go -no matter how far truly- out of necessity. But really, we wouldn’t want to travel any other way. We have to walk across town to get groceries and not think twice about it. Mom and I were laughing earlier about how we would drive down to Costco back home, which was only down the road. We hope to bring this more natural, simpler, and healthier way of going about to CA, even though it’s harder because the towns are built in a really spread out way that’s really meant for cars. If you look at the streets here in Jyvaskyla, you would notice that the sidewalks are the same size as the road which is completely foreign to us because sometimes roads back home don’t even have sidewalks.

In all, I’ve really been enjoying my time here.

February 23, 2019

Perspective-Stu

The weather here continues to be in flux mirrored by our feelings this past week or so. At times each of us have been challenged by negative thoughts or doubts of one sort or another. Staying in one place for such an extended period of time has an interesting impact that is somewhat different from those on our usual shorter summer travels. These impacts are are varied and can lift spirits or taint one’s day if allowed. To be sure though, spending an extended period of time in a different country by its very nature permits more introspection of long and short term goals as well as potential desires or lifestyle changes. It is easy to move from living in the moment to dwelling more in the future or the past, both of which can make a person feel adrift or unsettled.

I notice that the Fulbright grantees appear to be moored by their projects and are at times more tethered against the flow of unsettling emotions. However, I’ve heard that their findings are often surprising and can bring their own pull of considered career shifts and/or changes in their usual classroom realms. As for family members who have accompanied them, those with hobbies and projects of their own have a familiar way of engaging themselves which, I believe, makes transitioning to a new country and different daily demands smoother and less disruptive, if not more rewarding. Both my children have started engaging in familiar physical activities similar to home as well as creative projects in Finland for this very reason. Structure brings a foundation of security and contentment, and when combined with opportunities for exciting new experiences and creativity, enhances a sense of fulfillment and well being. I am proud of my family for this as it has helped offsetting feelings such as homesickness and anxiety about the future. In fact, they are now venturing out confidently on their own each day and are becoming much more emotionally balanced.

I guess that is why Finns value hobbies and activities so much, and why most people have at least one that they engage in several times per week, such as playing a musical instrument or producing art or homecrafts. The healthful value of hobbies and activities are widely recognized here and is probably why a Finn is more likely to ask another about their hobbies than what they do for a living; the positive aspects of the hobby or chosen activity speak more about how the person elects to spend their time and so what they are like as a person.

As for me, I have to remember that moving to a new country for more than half a year does not automatically allow you to leave your innermost thoughts and beliefs back at home. You bring both your physical and spiritual baggage with you. It’s all about being content and productive in the moment and making positive choices each day that will enhance this gift of perspective that distance and time offers.

February 19, 2019

Around Town-Meggie

Picture: View from Harju Tower

My family has officially gotten into the groove of living here. At first, going around town was an adventure and you didn’t know what you’d find but now, since I have ventured out quite a bit, small things like finding a bridge aren’t a huge discovery anymore. That being said, we of course go out and about looking for cool museums, new cross-country ski trails, etc.

This week, we went to a natural history museum that contained all sorts of information, my favourite part was looking at all the native animals here. This museum is right next to our house. The building (of which the museum is the entire bottom floor) extends vertically about 6 stories, and since it’s on top of a hill makes the entire city visible from the top.

I’ve recently been enjoying going on walks around the lake by myself. I’m not sure if it’s because our apartment is so small that I just need my space out in the fresh air or something else, but it’s very pleasant and refreshing. This past week was the hottest its gotten in winter here for 70 years. But, it’s finally starting to get cold again, meaning all the wet slush is now ice, making wherever you go turn into a ice skating rink, in the form of a sidewalk. My brother and I have been joking around saying that their are only two kinds of shoes that work if you want to go outside, ones with spikes, or ice skates.

It feels good, to be fully settled in now, and calling Jyvaskyla home.

February 19, 2019

The Cold-Liam

There has been a head cold going around the town since the start of February. Unfortunately, I caught it this Thursday, two days before my first swim meet here in Jyvaskyla! One of the boys on the team is going to compete in the 1.5 kilometer race, the first one in our team. During the practice beforehand we worked on starting and also turning. I learned a lot from that session and I talked with my new friend, Onni.

Yesterday my dad and I went for a walk to a new lake that he found. When we were in sight of the lake I spotted a fuzzy little squirrel with huge ears. I later learned that it was an Eurasian Red Squirrel. My dad spotted many different animals and birds. You wouldn’t even notice all of the wildlife unless you really looked for it.

This morning (Saturday) I went for a run in 25 degree fahrenheit weather. It was a beautiful day with the sun was reflecting off of the snow and the town wasn’t quite awake yet. The trails were not iced over, but if you stepped off of them you’d be in knee deep snow. I also had a look for some new trails and explored a whole other side of the park. It has been warmer this week and the snow has melted off the trees, so they are extremely green and vibrant. It was truly exciting.

It was not the best getting sick, but the silver lining was that I was able to explore the park near my house rather than going to a swim meet.

February 18, 2019

Trust (part two)-Robyn

Trust in Finland is a prominent word utilized by educators, researchers, professors, and parents when describing their educational system. Trying to understand the depth behind the meaning of this word is perseverating in my brain, turning it around again and again in an attempt to make a connection. I reflect on our own teaching practice and question why this important component of trust is so difficult to come by at home. When exactly did it leave our profession and most importantly how can we bring it back?

As an educator for over twenty-two years, I still remember in the beginning how my students’ families and administrators trusted the work we did. The thanks and the appreciation that came with the hard work, dedication, and love was poured back into our teaching practice. Yet at some point trust began to wan. Did it start at that one IEP back in the days when it was handwritten when I made a simple date error? Obviously, I had spent hours collaborating with colleagues and advisors spending valuable time preparing this IEP draft collating all of the collected data and was excited to share the progress that had been made. I had always met with parents on a regular basis, but this family were not available to meet with me prior to the meeting. Their daughter had such significant needs that the family had made the difficult decision to have her live in a home that provided her with continual care. When the family came to the meeting they took the time to visit with their daughter and I so enjoyed observing their interactions. At the IEP I remember so clearly the dad getting mad and threatening litigation because one of the dates was written incorrectly. An innocent mistake on my part for which I had profusely apologized, but there was no trust, this one small mistake had turned into something much bigger. I think back to that time now and wish the more experienced Robyn could have been aware of how vital trust was and made subtle changes based upon this concept so that trust was not missing from what is always a collaborative experience.

Over the past 8 years, I have treasured my decision to return back to the classroom. After over a decade working in a class for students with disabilities and then a move to the University setting for five years, I had missed the connections with my students and their families and decided to come back to my students. I relish advocating for children, educating parents and colleagues on best practices, and pouring my heart and soul into being a team member for our students.

Despite this passion and dedication I do this work like so many of my hard-working colleagues without trust. Is it the distrust of the parents of the programs we are providing for their children? Or perhaps it’s the lack of trust from the hierarchy that is so ingrained in our educational system? Previously I had attributed my frustrations to others having an absence of knowledge on what is truly involved when working with students with such intensive disabilities. However, maybe it’s our deep-rooted cultural norms where those in charge who have never been, or who are no longer in the classroom, dictating steps to be taken in terms of educating our children. Does this mean, as teachers we can’t be trusted?

In Finland the teachers are trusted. They are trusted to take the knowledge they learned in graduate school and implement it. They are highly respected professionals allowed and expected to be autonomous in their actions. They are trusted to follow through and provide the education necessary for children to learn. Parents trust their teachers as valued professionals and when the teachers make a suggestion or recommendation parents trust that the teachers know that they are doing everything possible to support their child. Trust: the Finns have this while we have multiple barriers that roadblock this pathway of trust.

Changing our fixed culture is an undertaking that this redhead, though incredibly stubborn, recognizes is not realistic. So small steps must be taken to bring trust back into our practice. For me, it’s going to have to be subtle changes in my practice to bring trust to our programs because even though I want to make bigger changes, hypocritically I do not trust that more significant shifts are capable of being implemented within our current educational system. As I write this, I find myself deleting my own personal “trust action plan” because I am concerned that the part of our educational hierarchy that doesn’t understand our work will balk at what I want to do, due perhaps to their limited experience on this global perspective of trust. So I am asking you to trust me. Trust that I know what I am doing when it comes to the education of students with special needs. I wonder, what do you think trust could look like for you?

February 18, 2019

Cross Country Skiing-Stu

Picture: Meg and Liam ready to ski

As a kid, I remember my dad asserting that every time he washed the car or even put on sunglasses, the heavens would open and there would be rain. It was if the gods were watching and waiting to pull a prank. In Finland, right now I kind of feel that the same thing is happening since I bought us all cross country skis. Literally, the next day after the last set was purchased, the temperatures rose 20 degrees and the snow (on the pavements at least) turned to 6 inches of non-skiable slush. I’ve heard that the weather in Jyväskylä this past month or so has been the highest and lowest people have seen in decades. Our family is checking the weather daily as you’re never really sure if it will be just above freezing which now feels relatively sweltering, or double digits below zero which is, well, you can imagine…

Cross country skiing is hugely popular here in Jyväskylä-a town where one in three adults consistently participates in sport or exercise 4-6 times per week. There are even 240 km of hiking, biking, and ski trails within city limits. We all decided that this would be a good low-impact form of outdoor exercise everyone could enjoy as the snow is still a few feet deep off the paths. With that in mind I took the kids to Laajis, the local ski and outdoor park on Tuesday so that they could begin to learn how it’s done. The first thing that was startling for us when we arrived was how many school kids were there. The slopes were busy with young people of all ages snowboarding or downhill skiing, while the trails and flat areas had kids as small as first and second graders tooling around on their cross country skis. Teachers had their students either in groups or doing their own thing for hours. Some of the elementary school-aged kids even left the park by themselves and returned without adult supervision. I’d learned that students spend a good couple of hours at a time each day playing some kind of sport or enjoying an outdoor activity during school hours, and here it was being demonstrated. For a teacher from the U.S. it’s all very confusing at times. Still, my guys did well and we only had a few run-away situations on some short downhills. We will spend more time honing our skills for sure.

After another cold snap, Robyn and I decided to enjoy the flat snow on Jyväskylä’s main lake on skis. There are some long groomed trails for skiers as well as a smoother snow-free ice skating loop that is still about a mile in length. The warm weather had brought some doubts to our minds as to the integrity of the ice strength, and it was with a little trepidation that we took to the nearest trail to the shore. Robyn and I both ventured out only after watching other skiers, skaters and walkers enjoy the ice without disappearing suddenly into a patch of cold water. It was great, and for a beginner nice to have miles of smooth open snow to practice technique (by technique I mean staying upright and moving faster than a shuffle). I’ve gotten used to septuagenarians zooming past effortlessly, but I’m getting incrementally faster and smoother. I also had the opportunity to explore how deep the ice actually was when I found a recently abandoned ice fishing hole from that morning. I rolled up my sleeves and reached down as far as I could, but could not feel the end of the ice. In fact, it was already beginning to freeze up even though the air temperature was above freezing. Another clue regarding ice safety was that the snow plough had been out smoothing the ice the day before, and even with all the starchy and wintry foods I’ve been consuming, the thing still had to be heavier than I am. All good fun, yet the warmer weather has increased the number of times I’ve heard this particular phrase that seems laden with promise: You should see it here in the Spring…

Still, don’t take my word for it. Here’s a link to the official tourist website that shares some great background information, photos and events here in town and the surrounding area:

https://visitjyvaskyla.fi

Laajis Urban Ski Center (photo taken from their website)

Lake Jyväsjärvi, photo: Kalevi Korhonen

February 11, 2019February 18, 2019

Trust (part one)-Robyn

So we’ve already established that there is no special magic that makes the Finnish educational system successful. But perhaps maybe the concept of trust has the subtle hint of otherworldliness that definitely requires further exploration. I continue to come across this word with every encounter, observation, discussion, lecture, and conversation I have had with educators throughout Finland. I have yet to synthesize my findings on trust, but I will confidently weave this into my inquiry project. This project continues to become more and more important as it fills my thoughts throughout every moment while I am here. The time to focus on this specific area of study is just plain and simply awesome. It’s not all easy, yet the highs are incredible. In fact, this week I gave a lecture to a room full of graduate students from around the world on Special Education in America and for two hours I was on, passionately sharing about how we best meet our students’ needs.

My Fulbright colleagues have been a wonderful sounding board as we continue to have intellectual conversations finding connections with our various projects. It’s all very inspiring. Sharing resources, articles, people of interest, and strategies is remarkable. I wonder how can we weave these stimulating conversations into our life on a regular basis at home. One month in and five more to go- I can’t even imagine we get all of this time to make even more of this opportunity. Feeling so lucky!